The Journey of a Prince
by Catgirl-of-Bavaria
Summary: He was invited among the best. He didn't choose his allies. He's promised his obedience, but one thing in his mind is clear. He's racing to win. But can friendship and even the beginnings of romance deter him from his goal?
1. Episode 1: A New Chance

**-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-: **Hey everyone! That's right, a new one from the Catgirl! This one's a wee bit different, as it's not a sequel to Oban Star Racers. Nor is it a one-shot reflection on Aikka's feelings of regret towards his attacks on Molly, his desires to help his parents or what have you. No, I'm trying something a little different than what I've seen thus far in here and what I myself have done. I actually got this idea from a fanfic I read once upon a time in the Spirited Away section, only with Haku. I'm hoping it turns out alright in terms of response and what you guys think about it.

So, what exactly is it? Well, it's the show, of course. Only this time, it's from Aikka's point of view. And, well, yes, it reflects on his regrets towards his relationship with Molly, and it does deal with his need to help his parents. But I'm going to try to dig a little deeper, as to the why's and reasons our dear prince does what he does. Heck, I'm even considering it as a sort of prequel to Aftermath of Oban, as I'm using the same design and characters for Nourasia to tell it. You'll even see a character here in this chapter! ;) Though that's probably the most you'll see of him. So, I hope you all enjoy it as much as you seem to be enjoying Aftermath, and hopefully I'll get a lot of love for this one as well! It'll also be something I can keep you insatiable fans of mine busy on when I'm not madly at work on Aftermath! X3

Disclaimer: I don't own Oban, and I don't claim to. And I'm broke, too, so don't sue unless you _want_ a few nickels, dimes and pennies for your trouble! Oh, yes, and Aikka's thoughts and emotions towards Eva and otherwise throughout the procession of the show are as I have read them to be.

_**Episode 1**_

_**A New Chance**_

The day dawned red in the city of Dalaan, royal city and gateway to Daal, the center of the planet known as Nourasia. As the Nourasian star rose steadily and slowly to share the sky with the couple of moons, the city below the palace began to awaken and set itself into life. Native birds, as well as young beetles from the wild forests could be heard rejoicing the new day with soothing songs.

Inside the palace was no exception to the awakening that came with the new day. And in fact, on this particular day, the palace was suddenly bustling with activity, maids and servants milling to and fro, even the King and his Queen had awoken early. Today was the day that posed a great opportunity and importance for them, their entire kingdom. Today, their prince would depart for a race.

Ironically, this prince wasn't even awake yet.

Emitting a low groan from his seat in his window alcove, the young heir of the kingdom shifted, finding himself cramped from the few hours of sleep he did achieve in his stone nook. True, there was a cushion beneath him separating him from the stone, but it proved to not be enough for the comfort of slumber.

He narrowly opened his drowsy eyes, revealing bright sapphires to the world. It took a few seconds for him to completely register what day it was, and his purpose on that day. His eyes suddenly widened, and he found himself quite alert. He pulled himself up from his seat of slumber, figuring that his mentor would be around for him any moment, to escort him off to departure.

Flinging himself into his finest racing clothing and quickly arguing with his hair, the prince then splashed himself with some cold water from the basin on the one side of his room. Reaching for a cloth to dry off his tan face, he heard the distinctive knock of his master on his door.

"Prince Aikka, now is the time to arise," Canaan's voice filtered through the heavy wood of the door, and Aikka quickly scrubbed the water droplets off of his face.

"Yes, I am up, Canaan," Aikka answered from behind the towel, and he heard the door open a bit. With a bow, his master entered his chambers.

"My prince, the king and queen are ready to see you off, along with, ah, our allies…" Canaan looked off at the last words, and Aikka looked grimly at the bottom of the basin as he set the towel off to the side.

This was what it had come to, over all the years he'd been in this world, he'd known little different. The Nourasian's allies were not their allies after all, simply conquerors; his parents had always kept him alert to that fact. It was his family's only choice but to accept the race of the Crogs as anything else, simply because of the ratio of sheer power. It had been this way all of his life, since before he was born, his people had always been at their mercy. He'd observed it all his life from the windows and terraces of the palace. It wasn't an unusual sight to see a Crog towering over his people in the streets, nor for a red glow to paint the skies during some nights.

But now, there was a chance that all of that could change. The hold that the Crogs had established over his kingdom could be released, if he played his cards right. He remembered just a few nights ago, when this had been presented to him.

--

_His parents had called him to their throne in the holy city, the one place that was still protected from the Crogs' occupation, and consequently the one place they knew they wouldn't be overheard. _

_Aikka knew what this summoning heralded, at least the importance of it. He could only wonder on what it was about as he walked down the expanse to the inner walls of Daal. Escorted as usual with Canaan, his fencing master and overall mentor, the trip was a quiet one. When at last they made it to the throne room, they were met with solid looks from both of his parents, though his mother's seemed to carry more reluctance._

_Bowing at the door, Canaan allowed the prince onward, to where he sank to a knee himself before his mother and father. His mother smiled kindly at him, and his father still stared sternly at him. It was a normal welcome for him, though he knew in his heart, this meeting was nowhere near ordinary._

"_You wished to see me, father?" Aikka suggested quietly, not returning to his feet. _

"_My son, you may stand, are we not family?" Queen Nori suggested to her son before the king said anything. Aikka looked to his father, and rose when he saw approval. _

"_Aikka, the matter we must here discuss is of great importance." King Lao began, his voice strong. "The Crogs are entering a race, the Great Race of Oban, and it is the General's wish that you, our kingdom's finest rider, accompany their racer as an ally in the race." Lao's eyes had lost some of the luster they had before, and Aikka felt his breath hitch._

"_What are the terms of the race? What would I be assisting them in achieving?" Aikka asked rigidly, his own brilliant blue orbs losing a bit of their original shine. The thought of helping the Crogs in whatever conquest ventures they had in store, helping them put more innocent lives under their command left a bad feeling in his stomach; he truly wanted no part in it._

"_I am not sure on the true intentions of the Crogs' involvement in the race, however," Lao took in a deep breath; it was true, the General, Kross, had left out any purposes that he had for racing, but he could only imagine that it was a bad omen for his people, as well as any other victims that the Crogs would claim. _

"_However, I am informed that this is a race of great influence in this galaxy. It is only held every nine thousand or so years by our calendar, on the Mother planet of Oban in the center of our galaxy. From all of the planets that compete, there is one winner, one prize." Aikka looked expectantly at his father. "It is a prize of great gravity, it can influence the flow of power in the galaxy, it can herald the destruction, or the salvation of entire peoples…" _

_Aikka's eyes widened slightly at the amount of emphasis that his father had just placed on the last suggestion. As if the news that this had something to do with a supposed 'mother planet' wasn't enough, the possibilities that his father had described of the prize of being capable of, that was truly taking him off guard._

"_My son, the prize of this race is the Ultimate Prize." Lao tilted his head down to the prince, having finally reached the peak of the discussion. "It will grant the winner any wish, any dream." _

_Aikka's breath finally succeeded in catching in his throat, causing a small sound to emit from him. This prize could really do that? _

"_What being could possibly do that?" Aikka asked curiously, a bit skeptical of the whole ordeal._

"_The Avatar, my prince," Lao answered. "He is the protector of the galaxy, and the one who holds the race, who grants the wish at the end. He is a being of immense power. He came to us only a few seasons ago to alert us of this upcoming opportunity." _

_Aikka nodded, he knew that something over the last few years had changed in his parents; His father seemed more distant, if only slightly. His mother had become worrisome. His training in racing and combat had become more rigorous. He wondered why it had only been now, that he was informed of this new development, but instead decided to expand more on the possibilities of the prize, a topic that was both hopeful and daunting to him._

"_Father, if I may, what would happen if the Crogs received this prize?" Aikka asked the question that the two of royalty and the fencing master behind him had been pondering for a longer time._

"_I would not want to completely investigate that option, my prince…" His father answered grimly, only answering Aikka's question. _

"_So, I am expected to help them achieve this goal?" Aikka asked dryly, truthfully feeling a bit repulsed that it was being suggested. Before Lao had a chance to answer, Nori entered the discussion._

"_My son, you can obviously see that terrible things can result from this race, but you must also understand that this race could also bring great fortune," her voice was soft against the rough silence that captured the throne room, as she looked at her son with blue eyes that were just as brilliant as his. "Imagine, what the Ultimate prize could do for our people! You could still inherit a free kingdom!"_

"_But if I am alliance with the Crogs, how would I be allowed to pull forward to win? Surely their racer would not allow it," Aikka said, liking the idea of actually freeing his people, but not daring to believe it was possible. _

"_Remember this, Aikka; alliance does not mean servitude. The Crogs may think it does, but you are always free in your own mind." Nori told him with a smile. "You must stay true to yourself and your code, and bring home the prize."_

_--_

And so today he would depart for this race. The avatar's ship was probably soon to be waiting at the first plain of the racing grounds, where the king had earlier told him to go. The previous night had seen Aikka far too thoughtful to sleep, thus how he had somehow ended up sleeping in his window seat. Truthfully, he was presently running on fewer than two hours of sleep.

Equipping his new set of armor, designed new for the prince's trip, he again wondered over the prize. Could he really get that far? According to his father's word, there were first three planets that held qualifying races from ninety-six teams each. Each planet would put forth three teams out of those to race on Oban. True, he was the best racer on his planet, but would that hold up against other, more technologically advanced races?

Shrugging then into his hooded cloak, he designated to himself that he must manage it, somehow. This was the closest shot to freedom that his kingdom had seen in all the long years of the Crog's occupation. He had to take the chance.

He'd gone over his wish for encouragement these last few days, he had perfected it in his head.

"_I wish for my people to be forever free of the Crogs," _

He repeated it in his mind, his sapphire eyes set forward and hardened as he and Canaan moved through the bridge hall, the connection between the palace and the beetle stables where his mount was kept. His grip tightened on his bow.

He would win the Ultimate Prize, no matter what the Crog racer had to say about it. He was in this race to win.

Drawing the doors open before him, the stable attendants bowed deeply to the prince as he passed through with his master. Star light poured into the cavernous structure, and glinted beautifully off of a large blue and white shell, the shell of his faithful mount, G'dar. The large beetle turned to greet his master, who in turn showed the beetle an affectionate pat and a smile. G'dar seemed to purr with excitement, obviously knowing what was coming just as much as the prince did. A fellow knight nodded to Aikka from just next to G'dar, and offered the prince a bag full of health supplies for the creature.

"He's alive today, Aikka, he obviously knows what he's in for." The knight grinned, brown eyes smiling with him. "Good luck to the both of you." Aikka returned a bow and a smile to the knight.

"Thank you, Takai, I intend to do my best." Aikka replied. Takai gave a grin and held his hand up in Nourasian fashion, which the prince didn't hesitate to match, placing his palm against Takai's, the both of them entwining their fingers to exhibit their friendship.

Turning to his mount, Aikka grinned at the large form of his companion.

"This is it, G'dar, the one you've been waiting for," Aikka smiled at his beetle, who responded with a light cry of agreement. Canaan motioned for the prince to join him atop the creature, and soon the prince was guiding G'dar for the door to the racing grounds.

Spreading vast wings, G'dar took quickly to the air, flying above the stands and out onto the first plain of the track. Though it really was a canyon, the first plain was a stretch where races usually began, it was a wider part of the canyon than was the track. Star light poured into the plain, and there from his perch on the descending G'dar, were his mother and father, along with a few Crogs.

Landing G'dar near the little meeting, Aikka inwardly glared at the largest Crog in the group, the one he knew as the general of the Crog Imperium, Kross. Knowing him, he was probably there only to taunt the prince as well as drill the so-called alliance into him, to try to make him obedient.

Leaping off of G'dar, the prince went straight to his parents, ignoring the Crog he passed, though he felt the one yellow eye boring into him with every step he took. Bowing before his mother and father, he tried not to pay too much attention to the two Crog warriors on either side of them. Easier said than done, however.

"I am ready, Mother, Father," Aikka said, coming back to his feet from his kneel. Nori smiled weakly at her son. She knew this would be a dangerous quest for the young prince, but in her heart knew it had to be done. She was proud that it could be her very own son to bring about the long-awaited peace to Nourasia. They had truly been blessed by the spirits to have such a chance.

"We wish you the best of luck, as do our people, young prince." Lao told his son proudly, though with a wary mental eye on the Crogs on either side of himself and his queen. He knew Aikka wouldn't like what the new deal was, but he knew, if the Crogs were to have the confidence that Aikka would follow them, it had to be done.

Even only to uphold a feeling of false security in the Crog Imperium.

"We ask you to remember our alliance, and not fret over us, my son." Lao continued, earning a look of sapphire confusion from the young prince.

"What do you mean, fret…?" Aikka asked. He heard Kross give a deep chuckle from behind him.

"Just a little matter of insurance, young prince," the general said, his uninjured eye narrowing to an amused slit. Aikka felt his own eyes widen as he turned his attention back to his parents.

The two Crog officers from either side had staked their claims on the King and Queen, their massive, gloved hands grasping the shoulders of the submissive royalty. As much as this disturbed him, Aikka dreaded the looks he saw on his parents faces; his mother wore one of deep regret as she gazed at him with eyes to match his own. His father looked reserved, almost willing.

"Mother! Father! What is the meaning of this, Kross!?" Aikka bristled, glaring daggers at both the captors and the general. Canaan had to place a hand on the Prince's shoulder to keep him from doing anything…drastic.

"As I said, Aikka. A matter of insurance." Aikka only growled and glared all the more at the foreign creature that was at least three times his own size. "If myself and my racer are pleased with your performance and cooperation by the end of the race, you shall be rewarded with the freedom of your parents."

Aikka suddenly understood everything, but that wasn't to say that he liked it…at all. So he was to fake his way through the races, just enough to have the Crogs believe he was their friend. He still needed the prize, however, so somewhere along the lines, he would have to rebel. And after doing that, it was doubly essential to win the prize. If he rebelled, but didn't achieve the prize…

It would certainly mean an end at the Crog's hand whether or not they won the prize either.

Aikka felt himself shaking at the gravity of it all. Such a razor-thin line he had to walk on his way to freedom for his people…and now his parents as well. His fists balled themselves up at his sides and he looked to his now captive parents before turning an icy blue glare at Kross.

"So be it." The Nourasian muttered. Kross would have smirked, had he a visible mouth as he stared back down at the prince.

"Very good. My Colonel looks forward to meeting you, do pay him a visit once you arrive, prince." Kross told the Nourasian.

Kross gave a hearty little cackle, and began off on his way. The Crogs holding his parents began to follow, consequently taking his parents away. Aikka had half a mind to run after and simply free his parents by force…

But his other half a mind knew he wasn't strong enough for such a feat. And how he hated it.

"Prince Aikka, it has come time to depart," Canaan said from beside him, indicating a spot in the sky.

Aikka then looked to the crimson sky, finding a new fixture there; a large, oblong structure, simply hovering in mid-air, rotating lethargically. A swirling symbol sat up towards the top of the thing, and suddenly began glowing gold as it grew closer. Soon enough, all Aikka could see directly above him was the egg-shaped vessel, before it seemingly split itself into thirds, with that same glowing gold light.

G'dar was heard cackling curiously as the gold light descended to meet them, and not long after, picking them up as if all gravity on their fair planet had failed them. Aikka looked with wide eyes as his sandaled feet left the racing ground. G'dar seemed to be in wonderment at how he had been lifted off the ground without the aid of his wings, but folded his legs underneath him anyway, decidedly content with the whole matter. Canaan had his own share of wonderment, but soon went back to being his stoic self.

Halfway up, Aikka caught sight of his parents, still a Crog's arm length away from their captors, standing just at the edge of the first plain, watching them all ascend to the odd vessel. He could almost hear his mother's voice in his head again, and he was hard-pressed to figure out if she were telepathically speaking to him, or if he was simply recalling her advice.

"_Stay true to yourself and your code…"_

"Mother…" Aikka whispered, as he began to disappear into the stone 'doors' at the bottom of the vessel, as she began to disappear from her sights altogether.

"…_And bring home the prize."_

The floor seemed to lock into place into a solid stone floor just below their feet, and the gold light disappeared altogether. Darkness took over as everything in the Nourasians' vision.

"I promise…" Aikka said weakly before the darkness overtook his mind, for reasons that were unapparent to him. The last thing he was aware of was his meeting with the stone floor.

With the three unconscious Nourasians aboard, the Avatar's module hurtled off towards a little planet known as Alwas.

**-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-: **w00t, first chapter done! I can't wait to get to Alwas and improvise the races none of us actually saw! Ideas for those are always welcome, of course, so as to help me avoid writer's block as much as possible. .:hates writer's block:. I'd love to hear input! And Of course I'd recognize you as the owner of the idea if I were to actually use it in the story. And I'd give you Pocky! Sweet, delicious Pocky… .:drools:.

Oh, yes, and a little visual assistance on how Takai and Aikka clasped hands as a sign of friendship(yes, they are friends, but loosely…little more explanation of that in Aftermath.) I figured that shaking hands was just too…boring, and not to mention 'human' for the Nourasians, so I wanted to give them something different. The thought of the fist thing that he and Eva do later on came to mind, but nuu. That's their thing, and their thing alone, that's my Mokka fangirl way of thinking.

So, I decided upon something I actually saw off of Disney's Brother Bear. If any of you have seen it, I mean their gesture to be like the thing the three brothers do. Palm-to-palm, clasping their fingers. Hope that clears it up!

Dunno how long it'll be til the next update, but I am greatly looking forward to writing it! I'm also at work on Aftermath, as well, rest assured.


	2. Episode 2: Hostilities Among Allies

**-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-: **Hey, guys:D Yay, this has gotten 104 hits already! I'm glad you guys are excited as I am for this story! Oof, it's been 17 days since I updated this one, hasn't it? I've been working on it pretty consistently, though. That is to say a little bit everyday. That goes for Aftermath as well! Gotta understand, I've been kinda busy; my grandma's in the hospital in the ICU, so my mom's been downtown pretty much everyday. Thus, I've had to go in to help fold papers so she can get her throwing done and then go down when Grandma has an operation(even though those never ended up happening, due to various things -.-) So that's majorly messed with my sleeping schedule. Then there's been days where I went to the hospital with her. Got drawing done on those days, but not much else.

And dude, I totally gotta get a job!! .:cries:. I need money, I wanna go to a convention in September…Ok, but now I'm just complaining about my life, or lack thereof. .:sweatdrop:. Sorry bout that. .:ahem:.

So progress on Aftermath, I'm about 8 or so pages through that one, I'd say over half done. Also, I got a piccy of Takai-sama up in my DeviantArt account, which I'm uber-proud of. X3 I really want a Takai plushie now! .. As well as a pic of Eva in some Nourasian clothes, which _will_ be in the next chapter! So, if you want a sneak peek(kinda sorta) of that chappie, go check it out!

_Spellcaster Hikaru:_ Squee!! .:glomps:. thanks for the racer profile, you're the only one to do that so far:D .:hands Hikaru-chan a cup of tea:. He sounds easily relatable to Aikka, too, being as he has a live mount for racing .:nods:. And lol, I have seen Gargoyles! I totally remember that show! XD Rawr, thank you so much for your never-ending support, and I can't wait for that comic! .:wink:.

_Shrouded View: _Lol, I've come to terms with the fact that I'm an Aikka nut :) Yeah, Takai will be popping up in this next chapter(in Aftermath XD) and we'll learn a little bit more about him! .:shifty eyes:. .: glomps Takai:. X3 Ooh, drawing the hand thing…hands….:twitch:. Kyaah! .:runs away:. Yes, yes, I suppose this would be good practice for me… OO;; Rawr! .:charges off to find her sketchbook and conquer her fear of drawing hands:. If I procrastinate on drawing it, just threaten me with spiders, that's my phobia … XP .:shudders:.

_RedMageSalyre: _Yeah, my OSR life is definitely Aikka(and Mokka) centric X3 I'm glad I've done so well with Nourasia, it's one of my favorite things, but it's also a little bit hard at times, I want to get it right :) And I've read some of the Prince and the Beetle, but I really need to catch up with it…I get distracted easily between DA, drawing, Gaia, all that happy fun time stuff…XP That and the fact that I've addicted myself to many an Oban fanfiction oo;

_Obancrescent13: _The third Nourasian was G'dar ;o lol Sorry for the confusion, there's no Nourasian bunny... .:gives cookie:.

_APurpleAvacado: _Nya, no stowaway… .. Though I wouldn't mind if Takai went with them…but Canaan was the only one in the show, so… T.T Kyuu, Takai is becoming quite the popular one .:grins, then glomps Takai-sama:. Glad you like, hope you enjoy the update!

_Whitehitsugaya: _Aww, don't be hatin' on Aikka… .. But yes, I can see how he can sometimes be taken as misunderstood…Take Jordan's view on him, for example! I hope to clear all that up and of course give Aikka a bunch more love…It's one of my favorite things to do lately:D

_Inferno of Darkness, Wild Child 5, Isabella of the Night, Dramaqueen of the Moon, and Obancrazy: _Thank all of you! .:bows:.Glad you're all liking it, and here's the update! Hope it wasn't too long a wait…

Ok, I think that's everything…Oh, wait, Takai-sama plushies for all!! X3 .:tosses them into the crowd:.

Disclaimer: .:becomes suddenly serious and holds Takai plushie up:. Every time you sue the Catgirl, a Takai plushie loses its stuffing. Do you really want that 'blood' on your hands!?? Think of the plushies!! .:huggles Takai-sama:. Aikka's thoughts and feelings during the show are as I perceived them to be:0 I do not own Oban Star Racers or Aikka, but I am the proud and fangirlish owner of Takai-sama:D

_**--**_

_**Episode 2**_

_**Hostilities Among Allies**_

_**--**_

Groaning as the stone floor below him gave a strong lurch, Aikka's eyes opened into narrow blue slits. The Nourasian forced his eyes wider, finding nothing at all to be in his initial vision. Though, it wasn't a trick, he really couldn't see anything. Nothing but darkness. The prince suddenly had the vague impression of what it was like to be without sight.

Sitting up easily, Aikka looked futilely around him, in search of Canaan, or G'dar, or anything, really. He was able to pick out a large shadow nearby, G'dar, he guessed easily. Just as he guessed, the bug gave the prince a small cry of greeting. Aikka stood and made his way over to the insect, feeling the hard smooth shell at his fingertips before stroking the creature. G'Dar cackled pleasantly at the touch of his master, and Canaan finally spoke up from elsewhere in the darkness.

"You have awakened just in time, Prince. I believe we have arrived." His voice said, just before the prince himself sparked up some Nourasian magic in the form of a luminescent blue orb.

"How long have I been asleep?" Aikka asked the man, holding his orb-laden hand up to provide more light to their surroundings.

"I can't really say, as I only woke a short time ago as well." Canaan stated, getting to his feet on the edge of Aikka's provision of light. "I would think the master of the galaxy would provide more comfortable surroundings for the participants in this Great Race of his, rather than stone floors and complete darkness…" He then said, rubbing his neck tenderly.

Aikka only nodded vaguely, still surveying the vessel they'd found themselves in. Stepping away from G'dar to get a clearer sight, he was only able to find a large, domed ceiling above them, circular walls surrounding them. There wasn't really that much to look at. Walking over to one area of the wall, he found a large circular alcove, like some sort of doorway that apparently led to nowhere.

Canaan wondered over to look for himself, when another lurch began, nearly upsetting both the Nourasians where they stood, and causing G'dar to cry out his surprise. Aikka held to the side of the alcove with the shaking to steady himself, when light suddenly made a striking appearance in the place. A rumbling both beside him and beneath him suggested to the prince that the floor was actually rising them all up. The wall in the alcove was actually sinking gradually to below the floor level.

Shielding his eyes from the sudden, and effective lighting, Aikka didn't leave his spot on the side of the alcove that now really was a doorway. The shaking of the module halted, and Aikka finally saw it fit to take his forearm away from his eyes. Those eyes widened as he saw where they'd ended up.

For one thing, the sky was a brilliant blue color to contrast with Nourasia's red. For another, there were creatures of various varieties that he'd never even thought of before. And it wasn't even hard to tell which were the natives; the only characteristic he saw frequently enough was that of the short creatures with oddly shaped heads and bulging eyes, and flimsy-looking arms with seed-shaped hands. These particular creatures were everywhere and assisting many of the other racers with their racing machinery. It seemed that few others had live mounts, as he did.

"Aikka, are you alright?" Canaan asked as he came up beside the gaping prince, obviously still concerned about the effects of the module's methods of presenting them to the new world.

"Y-yes, I'm fine, thank you." Aikka said, still entranced by watching the other racers and the inhabitants of the planet itself. He finally realized that his hand still held the orb of blue light, and promptly cut short the magic.

Turning, the prince and mentor retrieved their things and of course, G'dar. The insect was overjoyed to see something other than darkness for once, and to stretch his legs, as they descended the sloping docks. Looking around discreetly, Aikka took in the surroundings, as well as some fresh air. He was just as glad as G'dar to finally be there. To think, he was going to be racing soon, and it would be for something. He had true meaning to being here, for racing. Back home it was usually for sport, but here, there was a real reason to race. To win.

Reaching the bottom of the dock, Aikka caught sight of a curious creature, one he almost took as a native of the planet, save for a few differences. He was similar, though, Aikka thought as he watched the creature stand before them, smiling a partially toothless grin, his hands holding a staff sideways behind his small form.

"Welcome to Alwas, my Nourasian friends! Oh, my, it seems you will not be needing assistance with your ship, it is not a ship at all!" The small elder said enthusiastically as he caught sight of G'dar. "Ah, yes, how rude of me, I am Satis, I am the faithful assistant to the Avatar, and I shall be guiding you to your pit, where you will stay for the duration of the race here on Alwas. Come, come, follow me, now!"

Aikka and Canaan exchanged looks, and then followed after the short creature, who was presently walking just ahead of them, humming some tune with his old voice. Canaan kept his gaze professionally ahead, but Aikka didn't care to hide his curiosity too much, and often gazed off to the sides at the Skrub village they passed through. For now at least he could afford to do this, before the races began and he'd have to buckle down and set an unwavering eye on his goal of obtaining freedom.

"You are one of the later ones in arrival, but actually, if I can recall correctly, you are the first to race! Ah, but that is not until tomorrow shortly after lunch, I daresay! There is plenty of time for rest and preparation for you, my friends!" The alien called Satis was heard rambling in front of the Nourasians as they came upon a vast lake, surrounded by lush green grass and several identical structures, large enough in size to house even the larger ships that Aikka had seen back at the docks, along with a multi-level residence for the owners. On each doorway, he could actually see different insignias, each different from the last.

"There is the arena, where the races shall begin and end, there is the chute you will be able to take from your pit to get there," Satis babbled on, pointing at each place respectively to indicate them. "And here, here is where you will be staying for the duration of the race here on Alwas."

He had stopped on the dirt path before one of the identical garages, and was now looking up at the thing. Looking there himself, Aikka saw the swirling design of the royal crown on their door, as their insignia, painted in red paint.

"Very well, now, rest well, young racer, and good luck in your first race! Make it a good one for the opening of the Great Race of Oban, hmm?" Satis grinned toothily at the prince, before toddling off, probably to welcome more participants to the planet.

Aikka looked to Canaan shortly after the old man disappeared, and shrugged, deciding to begin figuring out how exactly they were supposed to get into the pit in the first place. The place looked fairly mechanical, and to say the least, mechanics weren't exactly either of the Nourasian's forte.

After they figured out how to open the large doors, by way of a button on the side of the massive door, the two Nourasians looked around. The vast garage would be more than enough room for G'dar to utilize, so this would not be a problem. They quickly got to work setting up the creature's pen, a usual occurrence for races away from home. G'dar himself, meanwhile, took to surveying the vegetation for tasty things to eat.

Aikka then decided to go and find where to set up his dwelling, and ascended the stairs. Canaan had insisted on finishing up with making the garage their own, so Aikka was basically free for the rest of the afternoon. Brushing his hand against the button to open the door to the inner parts of the place, Aikka peered about the main room. It seemed to be a rather fitting place for melee and combat training, and he knew Canaan would be pleased. It would provide the chance for him to work the prince even when it was rainy. Aikka couldn't exactly object to the prospect of more frequent training, he knew it'd take work to achieve what he wanted.

Off he went down a branching hallway, to find the rooms, finding the corridor quite compact, and curving, seeming to follow the structure itself. After the kitchen and supply closet, Aikka finally found a stairway, curving as a mere extension of the hallway itself. And how he hoped it led to rooms with actual beds in them.

The Prince did indeed find a room, a great deal smaller than his own at home. It was quite simply furnished, merely a bed in the corner, with what looked to be cabinets above the thing, and a small table next to that, complete with a lantern for light, something Aikka was actually familiar with. It was a small place, but it was all Aikka needed, really. Besides that, he found as he looked out the circular window, it had a beautiful view outside of the racing arena the Satis had pointed out, among other Alwasian things.

Sighing as some clouds began moving in, Aikka leant over to light the lamp next to him. Then climbing into the bed, the prince closed his eyes. Despite the sleep he'd gotten on the way there, he was still tired. How much had he even gotten on that thing, anyway?

"Prince, you have chosen this as your room?" Canaan said, checking in through the open door a bit later. The elder looked around oddly, as if the thought of the prince staying in such a small and undistinguished room disturbed him.

"I like it, Canaan, it's all that I need, a bed and light. Do not worry over it." Aikka told Canaan with a nod, not opening his eyes. Canaan still looked apprehensive, but agreed.

"And, I do not wish to further bother you, but what about meeting with the Crog racer?" Canaan asked sternly. Aikka's breath stopped where it was, and he slowly opened his blue eyes to the annoying truth.

"I'll…take care of that later. Tomorrow morning, preferably." Aikka said certainly. He took to glaring at the underside of the cabinets above him. "I'm still tired, and I've had enough of dealing with Crogs for one day." He muttered. Canaan nodded.

"Then I will leave you in peace." Canaan said, sinking into a bow.

"Thank you, Canaan," Aikka agreed, nodding his acknowledgement towards his mentor.

For a short while, Aikka lay in silence after Canaan left. Outside, he eventually heard some light rumbling of thunder. The last thing he remembered was the distant sound of rain spattering on his window, before he fell once more into slumber.

--

Aikka walked through the light shower of rain, his mood just as edgy and dark as the thundering sky. Skrubs, as he'd found the native race to be called, milled about with evening business, busier than usual due to the new population of new, alien patrons, and sometimes it was a chore trying to avoid the small-statured creatures as he made his way through in his hooded cloak. He earned some rather curious looks, not only for his differences in race, but for his wardrobe.

It was true, though, that the prince didn't particularly care about this; his blue eyes were intensely focused ahead, and slightly lack-luster for the fact that he'd been rudely awakened just earlier.

It wasn't so much the manner in how he was roused that was rude, Canaan always was courteous in that area among others. Rather, it was the reason he'd been brought back into waking, just half an hour after he'd lain down in the first place, that had put him in this mood. None to his surprise, the Crog Colonel, the racer who apparently was already on the planet, insisted on a little get-together before the opening ceremonies.

And, of course, it couldn't wait until morning. Sometimes, Aikka was certain that the Crogs existed only to, more or less, make his and others' lives living Hell.

He followed the directions he'd received from Canaan's message earlier, finding himself outside some little alley, somewhat far from the mainstream area of the Skrub village. Strips of cloth hung from what looked to be a stick over the doorway, dripping from the rain and waving eerily whenever the wind was suitable, and things inside looked oddly dark and damp.

He smirked darkly; what a fitting place for a meeting with his allied enemy…

Glancing about, Aikka ducked under the dripping linen and ventured into the tunnel of an alley way. The place was contrastingly dark compared to the rest of the Skrub civilization, but he supposed there were many facets to every race.

His sandaled feet made barely a sound as he proceeded down the damp ground of the alleyway, and rain water steadily dripped on his hooded head when he passed underneath openings. Soon enough, the prince came to a stop, seeing something ahead; or rather someone. He glared ahead at the large shadow, the slanting yellow slits of eyes that stood out so well from the darkness that surrounded him.

"I understand you wanted to see me, Colonel Toros?" Aikka suggested as he approached, his blue eyes narrowed with hatred that was masked by his usual obedience and his head cocked forward. Toros looked amusedly at the boy, and gave a slight laugh.

"Why, young prince, I'd think you'd be happy to finally be at the races, with such an opportunity to help your allies," he said in his hiss of a voice. "And even now, your job should be easier, our enemy, Earth, has yet to show up! Perhaps the humans got a little _delayed_ in their coming here…" Aikka raised an eyebrow at the larger creature.

"So Earth is late-coming, is there anything else I should know, any other reason I was summoned here?" Aikka asked politely, though he was full of impatience at the moment. He didn't come here to listen to his so-called ally gloat about a team that he had a grudge for. If anything, the prince felt in a somewhat similar situation with the Earth team; he too had the Crogs breathing down his neck, so to speak. Toros merely cackled.

"I just wanted to ensure my ally's allegiance before the opening ceremonies tomorrow, get to know who I am working with, Prince Aikka." Toros's eyes narrowed again. "I will need your support if our alliance is to survive to Oban. I feel not like I'll have much trouble with this on my own, however. Many of the racers here are quite novice, from what I have gathered."

Aikka shifted on his feet as Toros continued to revel in his strength that was quite obvious to even an untrained eye. He knew Toros was an excellent racer, why did he have to hear about it?

"Still, be prepared as ever to follow my demands, young prince. You would do well to do so without resistance." Toros took another step towards the Nourasian, coming to tower over the prince.

"Understood." Aikka said, loathing himself for surrendering, but thinking about his parents at the same time. His people. They'd be free if he could just play along for as long as he needed. "I will lend you my support, but I am still racing under my own circumstances. I was invited by the Avatar for this prize as much as you were."

"Very well, prince." Toros hissed deeply, his almond eyes glowing bright yellow. "Then I wish you luck in your coming race tomorrow. Hopefully you will survive it," With that, his eyes arched amusedly, and he turned away to tromp further into the darkness of the alley.

Aikka glared through the rain water dripping from his hood, and through the darkness, until the massive shape of the Crog disappeared. It was only when Toros was out of sight that he clenched his fists at his sides and bit his tongue to keep a curse from coming out.

--

The feeling was refreshing, sitting here in the sea-smelling breeze. The smell of the Alwasian ocean was the only outside thin he was letting into his senses at the moment. Other than that, if was darkness. Besides that, there was silence. Nothing but the steady beat of his own heart, the calm rhythm of his breath.

The prince altered his concentration, feeling the material of his archer's bow at his fingertips. He felt its magic, and he let himself bond with it. His mind cleared of anything that wasn't of the arcane school of thought. He recalled all his racing spells, every single one that had been memorized over the Nourasian's ages as a racer, and as a knight.

Opening his sapphire eyes, Aikka found his sight cast over the ocean, his whole being rejuvenated from his meditation session. He felt once more connected to the weaponry in his hands, he felt completely confident in his abilities to use it in his upcoming race.

He looked up at the placement of the sun; if he was correct, the opening ceremonies were to start in a half an hour or so. He had to wonder, though, what kind of racer he'd be up against first. Being the first to race, posed the slight problem of not seeing some possibilities of what you're going to be up against. Still, he wasn't worried. He promised his mother and father he'd bring home the prize and he would.

'This is not a promise that I have the option to fail at,' Aikka thought to himself. 'My people _will_ be free.'

With that, the steel-minded prince stood, and set off back towards his pit. After that, he'd stop by the stands, where he knew the racers were converging. It wouldn't hurt to get a look at his opponents even without their racers.

After leaving his bow and arrows with the excited G'dar, the prince headed off towards the stands. He came to the edge and looked down, into the arena. It wasn't too crowded yet, but that didn't stop the crowd that was there from being chaotic. He caught sight of a large wheel on the stone wall, with various branches stemming off from the center; the scoreboard, he knew. He saw the gates, the plain where they'd begin every race, and he smiled at the unique style of it all. Some sort of Alwasian style that he was unfamiliar with, yet intrigued by.

Taking some steps downward, Aikka looked around at various creatures, smiling politely if any of them made eye contact with him. Just after a tall, reddish creature passed him, sporting what seemed to be some sort of water-holding tank, he heard a bit more commotion in the direction the creature had gone.

Looking over, he found what seemed to be a sea of…white creatures, strange beings he'd never seen or heard of before. They all were chirping in odd ways, and apparently, they didn't notice that they were practically trampling someone…A certain someone who was quite obviously in need of help, whimpering slightly as she was swept away by the beings.

Prince Aikka gave a curious look, and then approached quickly. A gloved hand flew up, and he took his chance.

Wrapping his hand around the alien's wrist, Aikka pulled the person out of their predicament easily, and dragged the light person onto the stone bleachers. Letting go where he left her, sprawled on the stands, Aikka made a shocking revelation of who, or what, he just saved. This person looked like him in many ways, compared to the other, odd creatures around them both, but still had striking differences; she was paler, shorter, and hadn't the same ears as he. This was all to say nothing of her unique coloring of hair, and especially attire.

'A…Human?' Aikka thought to himself. Well, he supposed that Toros's bout of glee at the race's absence would have to go incomplete. Yet this person didn't appear to be of any sort of high ranks, considering what little he knew about the race. She couldn't be the pilot. She was so young!

"Are you alright?" he decided to ask as the girl pulled herself up to look at her savior. For a second, her eyes, in a fiery shade of red, stared at him over a light play of pink on her cheeks. Aikka noticed this curiously, and asked further. "Aren't you a little young to be running around without parental guidance?" Aikka raised an eyebrow at her, while her expression went immediately sour.

Then she did something he'd never experienced before; she talked back, with a tenacity that he'd never seen a girl speak to him with. "Ha, you think I was scared? You should see the teachers at my boarding school, now that's scary." Aikka's blue eyes remained fixated on her; he had no clue what a 'boarding school' was, but her tone still intrigued him… "So where are _your_ parents? You're no older than _I_ am!"

The prince couldn't help but stare at her, at the same time hoping that Toros wasn't near enough to spot the exchange. This girl, was, to put it simply, _different_. Different than all of the few Nourasian girls that had ever spoken to him. She spoke animatedly, her voice wasn't soft and delicate, but it still had a very endearing quality to it. She didn't even try to act fragile and feminine, but it seemed to suit her perfectly. He suddenly, in that little spurt of time, decided that the human race was a fascinating one. Already it was full of surprises.

"Well, in Earth years, perhaps," Aikka joked, figuring out that this girl really was older than he first estimated. Almost too soon, if he could say so without getting caught by his own common sense, Canaan interrupted, calling him and waving from the very top of the bleachers. Blue eyes quickly flashed towards the elder, and he realized the ceremony, and his race, were about to begin.

"Your dad's callin' you—Ah P-Prince?" The human began sharply, raring for another round, before she found out just who it was she was speaking to. Red eyes looked wide at the Nourasian, and her mouth hung slightly agape. It was more reaction than Aikka could have imagined or hoped for, it was absolutely amusing. He smiled the most honest smile he had in a while, and swept his arm in front of him in a deep bow.

"Please, forgive me," He said serenely, before taking his leave. Smiling as he sensed her eyes remaining on him until he reached the top of the bleachers, Aikka found himself in the best mood he'd been in for a while.

Humans, if only that one, were quite amusing creatures. He'd heard they'd had habits of colonizing planets other than their own, which led them to be involved with the Crogs in the first place. Aside from that, he just knew some random facts about the planet, specifically its science, and tiny tidbits of culture or its people. But what did he truly know about the race? If this meeting showed him anything, it was that he really didn't know enough…And that he was somehow drawn in.

"Come, G'dar, it is time," Aikka told his mount proudly, leading the beetle along towards the chute. Canaan had already wondered back to the stands to watch the race, and the Avatar was giving his speech underneath a heavy blanket of dark clouds. Watching this, Aikka heard the whole announcement as he and G'dar marched forward.

"There is only one rule; Racers may achieve victory by any means necessary, so long as they do not attempt to take the life of their opponents!" The voice commanded. Aikka nodded with fierce blue eyes; it should be simple enough. Rather, it was relieving, in a way. With a 'ship' that was as alive as he was, and not even a ship to begin with, perhaps there'd be less of a chance of G'dar getting injured. He could only hope.

Savoring the breeze one last time from atop G'dar, Aikka guided G'dar over to the chute. His blood raced through him; this was really it. This was the start of something new.

"For the first race, it's Nourasia, versus Hartlam!"

Landing at the bottom of the chute on the cue, Aikka then urged G'dar to proudly march through the arched doorway and into the star-light filled arena. Surrounding him was much applause, so many eyes that he felt on him and his mount. As he carried himself to the starting circle, though, he felt a sudden urge to look up, one pair of eyes that he personally wouldn't mind seeing again.

There she was, much in the same place he'd left her, standing from her seat, watching him intently as G'dar marched onwards. Aikka felt himself lift with a smile on his face. The sight of her looking at him, showing acknowledgment of him, somehow made him all the more ready for his race ahead.

The other ship hovered into the place, an immense thing, extending spikes all over it's body. Aikka looked warily at the spikes, but didn't stress too much; G'dar was quite agile…However passing could end up being difficult if caught behind the aliens. Not only the size of the body was to blame for this, but also the length of those spikes. The entire thing looked capable of taking up nearly the entire gate before them!

Somehow he'd manage, as he crouched into position on his riding seat, the disc the two racers rested on rotated to make them face the starting gate, and the gong sounded at the top of the arena. The first stone, then the second stone dropped, then they were off when the entire door dropped.

Hartlam wasn't too bad, he had to admit, but they largely depended on those spikes to bring them victory, as Aikka had predicted. He found himself in second as they raced down the canyon, and his attempt to take first ended up in a bit of a scrape for G'dar; quite literally. But the prince would win this race, and many races to come, he was sure of this. And these reckless racers wouldn't stand in his way. So, rolling out of the hold Hartlam held, he spotted the perfect method of attack; the pipe he'd just noticed, extending out the back of the vessel.

Grinning, Aikka stole an arrow from the quiver on the back of his riding seat, and took to his feet. Taking his bow from his shoulder, he placed both implements before him, calling forth the magic from his life force.

"_Un Sekai narama ketar!" _Blue burst from his weapons, taking energy from around, and magic from within, and combining it into the moonstone arrowhead. Taking aim at the oblivious opponents ahead, Aikka sent the arrow off, a perfect shot straight into the vessel.

The effects soon became obvious, as the vessel combusted, then swerved, their spikes actually serving into their downfall, getting caught in the canyon floor and bringing them to a chaotic and rolling stop.

Swerving high above this, G'dar brought his master to face the opponents, where he respectfully bowed to the now eliminated Hartlam. The race was his, as he flew back to the arena to accept his victory.

--

"An excellent race for us today, my prince," Canaan greeted the prince with a smile and a bow as he arrived back at the hangar atop G'dar. Aikka leapt off the beetle and bowed himself, a smile lighting up his tan face.

"Thank you, Canaan," he told his fencing master as he turned to G'dar, inspecting the creature for any prevailing injury from their meeting with the wall earlier. Some minor scraping on the edges of his cerulean shell was all he found, however. In fact the beetle was in rather good spirits from their first victory, as he shrieked and stretched his wings.

After leaving G'dar in his pen in the garage, Aikka decided to retrieve a seat in the stands to spot any opponents he'd really need to look out for. Ironically, he came upon the arena just as Colonel Toros was seen ruthlessly eliminating his current opponents. Glaring at his so-called ally on the screen, Aikka sat at the top, hoping he'd find the next race more enjoyable.

"For the next race, it's Earth versus Grooor!"

Aikka looked up slightly at this announcement; he didn't think he'd get to see Earth, that girl's team, up for a race so soon. He wondered where she was right now, she surely wasn't the pilot, as he'd established earlier.

The race started off well enough, Grooor and Earth proved to be a good match for each other. As the race was coming to an end however, Canaan decided to show up, beckoning the prince off for, to his dismay, another chat with the Colonel.

"Ah he probably wants to congratulate me on my victory," Aikka laughed darkly, getting to his feet. The crowd was excited; the two opponents were fast approaching the finishing gate. "I'll be along in just a moment, Canaan, I'd like to see the end of this," he told Canaan, taking his sapphire eyes off the race for just a moment. With a nod from the elder, Aikka turned back towards the race just in time to see it happen, the crowd roaring with shock as his blue eyes took it in.

The Earth team's racer, slightly ahead of Groor's vessel, exploded, sending it through the gate in a wall of flames and smoke. Grooor lurched off to the side to avoid the destruction. Now, Aikka didn't consider himself knowledgeable in the ways of mechanics in the least, but he had to guess that this explosion was, more or less, rather unprovoked…There hadn't been fire from Grooor…

Aikka then knew for sure, as he watched the pilot get carried away on a gurney, white extinguisher being sprayed over the burning ship, in the fading daylight, this really was more than just a race. This was a battle in disguise.

**-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-: **lol, I never knew how much fun writing Satis is until now! He's just awesome like that. Oh, yeah, and I hope I did the race alright, seeing as how we all know what happened there anyway. I just didn't want to overkill it, nor did I just want to skip over it completely in a bound of laziness. How'd I do?

Oh yeah, and I introduced the blue orb of light that was in the 21st episode! And no stowaways, the third Nourasian in the last episode was G'dar…Um…Yeah, I'm just weird like that. And a huge G'dar fan:D X3

And I decided to give Aikka the same room as Molly(not that way, pervs! D: XD j/k) just cause I thought it'd be amusing if they had corresponding rooms…or something… .:shrugs:. I dunno, I just felt like it:)


	3. Chapter 3: Resilience of Enemies

Hey everyone, I'm still kickin! I've been wanting to update this story for a while now, and I have been working on it for the last few months when I grab spare time…And I have a moment right now, so here's a new chapter.

Thanks for reading as always, and for putting up with my lateness and sporadic updating.

Disclaimer: Oban Star Racers belongs to Savin Yeatman-Eiffel, genius man that he is.

_**-**_

_**Episode 3**_

_**--**_

Aikka awoke early the next morning, but upon finding the outside world to still be dark as night, he tried to urge himself back to sleep. Lying in his bed, the Nourasian simply listened to the world, his eyes lightly shut against the dark, strange room that was his bunk. Somewhere outside, there was a distant rumble of thunder, from the storm that had began late last night and was now rolling away. It was this calm time after such weather that Aikka enjoyed. Calm, peaceful; when nature was alive with the rejuvenation brought by the rain.

His eyes sliding open and staring above, and unfortunately not finding himself tired, the prince sighed, removing his sheets and taking a few steps to his circular window. He took a few moments to look outside, his exceptional sense of sight adapting quickly to the darkness, before quietly working the lock and maneuvering the thing open.

Letting the sweet scent of rain, the pungent scent of wet stone and dirt waft in through the threshold, Aikka smiled. At least one thing was much the same as it was at home. He was already blaming the difference between the lengths of Alwas' and Nourasia's days for the fact that he was up so early that it would still be some time before Alwas' star made an appearance. But at least he could still enjoy the remnants of last night's tempest.

He leaned onto the sill and watched the world just start come to life. The birds of Alwas had only just started to come to life…No doubt getting an early start themselves on gathering insects that got caught in the rain. His eyes scanned from the scenery, towards the racing arena.

It was still a little hard to believe that he was really there, at the largest, most important race in the entire galaxy. He smiled, though, remembering that he'd already made it into the second round of the races. So far, so good, as they say. He was one step closer to his prize, his people's salvation, and he had an entire day to prepare and study the other racers while the rest of the first round finished up.

Though, looking now at the arena, he couldn't help but be bothered by the images of yesterday, that horrible crash involving the Earth team. He was beginning to seriously consider the chance of foul play.

And, running his hands through his loose hair, Aikka knew who the key enemy of the Earth team was. It had bothered him that on the very first night of the races, the Earth team had already, possibly, been sabotaged in some way. It was more than a little suspicious that the Crogs had declared Earth as their personal enemy in this race, meanwhile this happened.

His eyes narrowed in consideration as he recalled the previous evening;

_Once again, he had shown up, in that dank place at the edge of the usually cheerful Skrub village that served as host to the races. And stealing away into the alleyway in the tail end of the twilight, Aikka had inwardly cursed this meeting; the second private meeting in as many days. And the race had only just begun. How he hoped that this would not become a nightly occurrence. _

_He ventured further into the dark alley, which of course was even more shrouded than normal, given the sunset and the heavy cloud cover that was beginning to move in. There, in his usual spot, was Colonel Toros, leaning against one wall, waiting for the Nourasian. Yellow eyes pierced the descending darkness and turned to face the prince, who frowned in the cover of darkness and behind the high, plentiful collar of his cloak._

"_Prince Aikka. Wonderful, as always. Come, let's walk." Toros said, then turning and walking in the other direction, into what looked like a tunnel. Where it went, Aikka didn't know, but followed nonetheless. He strode behind Toros, as there was hardly room on either side of the great creature. Toros probably did this purposefully; to have them walking side by side would be to suggest them as equals. "I quite enjoyed your race with Hartlam. It may be soon to say, but I have indeed chosen the correct ally," Toros continued as they walked, Aikka being kept in darkness for any light from ahead being blocked by the massive Crog. He merely followed and said nothing, listening to their footsteps reverberating dully off the close walls._

_The two emerged from the end of the tunnel onto what looked to be a small dock, with a rickety wooden path leading up and around to landmass surrounding a body of water; Aikka had to guess this was the nearby ocean. Across the water and up a hill, were several more of the pits used for the racers, their silhouettes against the dusk. Further out towards the sea, was what looked to be the docks that they had arrived on. _

"_And how unfortunate to see what happened to the Earth team," Toros mused, barely bothering to hide his relish. Aikka's eyes flashed at the larger being._

"_And that was…your doing, Colonel?" he asked cautiously. Toros' large yellow eyes looked at the Nourasian briefly, before laughing darkly._

"_Pathetic Nourasian; as if I would need to sabotage their team so early in the races. I do not need to cheat to defeat them. And that time will come." Toros said in a rumble of a voice, lifting a great arm to grasp a piece of the crumbling Skrub wall next to them on the dock. Prying it easily from its place, he gripped it tightly while Aikka quickly contemplated what its purpose would be. "And when your time comes, you will do as you are told. Especially if you wish to make it to that point," he pointed to the large, space docks. "If you want to make it to Oban, you'll keep in line." He suddenly held his enormous hand, the brick he tore from the wall, out and above the water. _

"_The Earth Team…" He released the piece, and it hit the water with a heavy 'plunk', "Will fall." _

_Aikka still watched the stone sink quickly, its shape through colors of the deeper water, the small bubbles rising around it, the chaotic waves around its point of entry on the surface. His face bore no expression for Toros' little demonstration._

How odd, he found, that this was bothering him. The Earth Team was, after all, the supposed enemy. The one who the Crogs had forced him into alliance against. Even omitting the Crogs from the equation, The Nourasians had their own views and wariness regarding the planet Earth and its people.

Yet at the same time, Aikka felt that even so, enemy or not, the Earth team deserved a fair fight in this battle. And yet already that honor, that right had been betrayed. If not by Toros, then by someone else.

But this was ridiculous; after all, he had no proof that any onedid sabotage the race, it could have all been an accident. Those mechanical ships were probably just as prone to accidents as live mounts were to injury or illness. He didn't really feel the need to be so suspicious. Things were going to happen in this race that would likely be very unfair, it was a stroke of bad luck that such a thing had happened in their first race, but it couldn't be helped. He briefly wondered if Earth would be able to continue in the races; he hadn't caught the official outcome of the race, for having to attend the meeting with the Colonel.

Sighing and pushing himself up from his spot against the wall and the window sill, he decided to ponder it later. At last the sky was starting to light up, and this was probably the best time to meditate and prepare for his day off. There was no race for him, however, with the free time, Canaan would likely drill him on his fighting techniques in the great room downstairs, where they'd already set up the traditional arena for such practices.

Aikka also decided somewhere during his preparation of his hair that he'd like to work on his archery, to keep in shape for the upcoming races. He'd do that as a relaxing activity between his lessons with Canaan and going to see the rest of the preliminaries, which would likely take up the entire afternoon. He smiled, happy to have his entire day filled with activity.

Pulling on his thick leather armor and strapping it on, Aikka did a once over of himself in a mirror he'd brought from home, before smiling at his reflection. Luckily his hair looked reasonable for doing it on his own, as he didn't normally where it in its three-topknot form but for races back home, in which case it was a bit ceremonial to have a fellow knight assist him. But it had been decided that Aikka would only be accompanied by Canaan for his experience and for more ease of transportation. The small pit would definitely be better off without servants milling about. This suited Aikka just fine anyway, even though he was royalty, he was perfectly self-sufficient, just as his father. In Nourasian royalty traditions, the possession of servants was a luxury, but not essential, and for Aikka, he actually preferred to not have maids bothering over him, as the idea alone made him feel confined.

Opening his door, he emerged into the hallway, finding all to be quiet. Perhaps Canaan was not yet up. He made certain that he was silent as he walked through the darkness and down the stairway. Turning into the great room, he found it to be just as quiet, and dark. The light from outside would come in soon enough, but Aikka continued into the room, lighting some of the candles to supply him with some calming atmosphere, perfect for his meditation.

Walking ahead to stand before the traditional shield at the head of the room, Aikka drew a deep breath and let it back out. Folding his legs beneath him in a smooth, practiced motion, he closed his eyes and kept a straight posture, sinking into a free but lucid state, his focus trained on the day ahead.

And as always, obtaining the prize.

--

Gleaming metal flew through the air, while nimble feet danced across the hard floor, battling and charging each other in quick succession. Constantly tricking each other and jumping, taking a multitude of stances in any given minute, from light and quick to staunch and supported. All the while, cries of battle and clashes of metal rang and echoed through the large room.

Elder and pupil fought fiercely, locked on each other, turning, jumping and twirling around each other locking blades and locking eyes with every advance. Even with the shorter blade, the younger Nourasian held his own well in the battle, but both were beginning to tire as sweat had gathered lightly on both of their faces.

Canaan made a solid charge at the prince after their latest split, but Aikka met it just as forcefully, blocking a quick succession of Canaan's swings with his dagger. With another twirl while he was on the offensive, the mentor brought his sword across his opponent. Aikka blocked the swing, but the force of it nearly upset his stance, and before he knew it, Canaan had continued the sweep straight into another advance; this next shot was coming from above.

Acting fast, Aikka gripped his dagger with both hands, raising it in a block against the assault. The force pressed the prince down into a lower stance, but the prince grinned, and maneuvering himself forward while shoving the sword off of his blade, spun himself around, his dagger transferring itself around in his hand. Suddenly he'd turned the tables and his dagger was at his master's side, hovering several inches from his exposed side.

Aikka found his master's surprised gaze, and grinned in a clear victory. Canaan put on a grin of his own, and lowered his sword.

"Excellent work, Prince Aikka. You have made noticeable improvement." The two separated, and promptly after sheathing their swords, bowed to each other. "Just be sure to work on perfecting your stances. A strong stance is the first key to defending oneself in a battle of blades."

"Yes, Canaan. I will certainly practice." Aikka said, bowing a second time.

"That will be all for your fencing practice, you may do as you desire for the rest of the day, my prince."

Aikka smiled and excused himself, announcing that he would be out, practicing his archery. Grabbing his quiver and elegant bow, he exited the great room and made for the stairs in the garage that had become G'dar's stable. All the bronze dressings and traditional decorations around the beetle glistened and caught light as he strode confidently down the stairs. Stepping over the swirling metal that surrounded G'dar like a pen, Aikka greeted the large bug, who gave a cry to express his own hellos. After stroking his companion contently for a few moments, Aikka gave the creature one last pat and walked out of the open hangar door, bow and quiver shouldered.

He wasn't quite sure where to do his work, so for a while, he just followed the shore of the lake.

Looking around, he found it to be an enjoyable day, even with slight bits of evidence that the storm had hit the night before. Every now and then he would step over a small branch that had been separated from its tree host somewhere else. Looking out across the water, he paused in his tracks, noticing that there were several natural stone pillars rising from the lake. Those would serve well as a target, he decided, and so he sat in the grass, performing his usual meditation ritual. Getting back to his feet, Aikka readied his bow, pulling an arrow from his quiver. All was quiet as he concentrated on the stone. He pulled back on the string until…

"_Woooo- HOO!" _

Aikka threw himself into a duck just in time as the source flew over the embankment behind him. He looked up as it flew over him, finding what seemed to be a board with a slight curvature, and amazing range of colors to it. He heard the hum of it as it passed over, swooping just over the grass in front of him, and he saw the rider standing upon the board, gripping a bar attached to a shapely wind sail, which was also gleaming in color as the bottom of the board was.

She moved her whole body to swerve the almond shaped board around above the ground, and from where he was, Aikka could see the air moving and glowing below it, just as the air waved above any source of fire…He figured it must have been that hover technology he'd heard vaguely about.

The girl herself, looked a bit older than him, and he instantly recognized that he'd seen her somewhere in the bleachers while watching the races. He could hear her laughter as she careened and swerved down, and over the lake, causing a disturbance in the water as she went. She seemed to have fun as she wove designs into the surface of the water with her board, but it was when she started doing tricks above the water that Aikka became intrigued with her skill.

She started out just doing some hops and mid-air turns, but soon she progressed to much more complicated feats. In a few instances, she flipped forward in the air, leaping high enough above the water in a graceful arc that could even accommodate her tall sail, before landing with perfection to a level position.

The alien girl seemed to glance his way and wave. Aikka wondered at this, but then saw the girl seem to defy gravity itself, and, approaching the very pillar he was going to use as target practice, gave a jump, turned in midair, and rode up the pillar. Just before reaching the top, she pushed off with the force emanating from the bottom of her board, and went into a series of flips and tricks, straight up through midair, seeming to fly even beyond the normal restraints of gravity.

She, at the distance between her and Aikka, had become a twisting, gleaming shape, and finally, she seemed to emerge, ready to touch down again, causing a great wind around her to crash down and scatter the surface of the water beneath her in a wave on either side. The Nourasian on the banks stared in awe at the technology, the power, her seeming kinship with the wind and water. This, this had to be her method of racing, and Aikka had to wonder if it was magic she was using.

The figure on the board then began weaving her way back towards the shore of the lake, still creating waves as she went along. As she came closer, Aikka could notice her body straining and flexing adeptly to direct her sail, as well as how her legs controlled her board beneath her, moving fluidly around each other to create her weaving motion.

Her unique features were, as he had predicted, indeed belonging to someone he'd already seen in the audience at the races; a white, skin-hugging jumpsuit and gloves, with grey sleeves underneath, and what appeared to be ears similar to his own underneath a head of round, platinum hair and a large pair of red goggles. Her face was pale compared to his, but her eyes were a shade of brown, and were glinting as she sped towards him.

As she leapt with her board, using the embankment as a ramp, she twisted the entire thing in the air, and landed, gliding to a stop just before the wide-eyed prince. For a moment, all Aikka could see was the luminescent, colorful material of the sail, standing at about two and a half times his height.

"Bonjau!" said her feminine voice as her round head popped around the edge of the sail so suddenly it nearly gave Aikka a start. He looked confused for a moment, at the strange word that the girl had used. It must have been her planet's dialect instead of the Common everyone was using during the races. Behind the sail blocking his view, the racer did something, and the sail itself seemed to vanish, and the bars that gave it structure folded and buckled, seeming to stow into the board itself. How that kind of technology worked, Aikka would never know. Kneeling down, the owner picked up the board, and carried it under an arm. She looked to Aikka with bright eyes.

"Uh, Hello?" Aikka guessed that the word had been a greeting of some sort. The other racer smiled at this.

"You were watching me practice, no?" she said, her Common heavily accented.

"Yes, I suppose I was, I apologize," Aikka said hospitably, going to bow.

"Nonsense, nonsense, I do love a good audience." She told him, waving a hand casually. "I in fact have seen you practice as well, that is a talented bow you have there. And your racing skills are going to be tough to beat!"

Aikka felt slightly embarrassed; this was the first time anyone besides his Fencing Master had praised him since he came to this planet. "Thank you, miss…ah..?" Aikka began. The girl's almond eyes widened a bit, and she became a little frazzled.

"Oh, do forgive me, I am Lio, of the planet Ombre'laa. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Prince Aikka of Nourasia!" Her smile was wide, and a bit infectious, as Aikka himself felt a smile coming on.

"It is also a pleasure," Aikka said delightedly. Just then they heard in the distance, the cries of an audience coming from the racing arena; the races must have already begun.

"You two had better get down there," the crackled voice of Satis came from beside them, as the alien stared up at them with a goofy smile. "The winners of today's races are your challengers tomorrow!"

"Shall we go to the races? It would be beneficial to our strategies to see the competition." Lio suggested lightly. Aikka was about to decline gracefully for the time being in favor of his archery practice that had been interrupted, but Satis continued.

"I've also heard that the Earth team has been granted a reprieve, and will be fighting Grooor in a rematch this afternoon, which should be very exciting indeed!" Satis hissed, as if it were some secret. "Such tension will they both have, especially after yesterday's…disaster…"

Aikka paused, instantly intrigued. So their pilot was alright, after being carried off in such a state? And they could race after the explosion had ripped apart their vessel?

These humans were indeed fascinating things. Either way, Aikka guessed that Toros would have wanted him watching the team like a hawk anyway. If not to prepare for a future match against them, then to be aware of how pitifully they would have lost, as Toros would have probably said.

So Aikka nodded in agreement to Lio, and turned to thank Satis for the information, only to find that he'd disappeared.

--

Most of the seats had already been filled by the time the Ombreian and Nourasian reached the stadium, but the two found a spot about halfway down the bleachers, squeezed past other strange beings, and claimed them, getting ready to watch the races. Lio took a casual position, straight postured and leaning back on straight arms, while Aikka placed his palms on his knees, a habit of his upbringing. And by the looks of things, they'd arrived just in time to see the end of the current race. A large, clunky looking machine pulled into the gateway, signifying a win. Aikka could hear a great, triumphant cry coming from the burly racer.

"The winner of this race is Rush, of the planet Byrus!" The Skrub announcers cried to the audience, who then let out a rumble of respect for the victor, who waved while turning off the course.

"An interesting looking creature….I wonder how that enormous ship flies," Lio observed next to Aikka. Aikka glanced at her, and back to the Byrusian…Byrus…Wasn't that another planet that the Crog armies had taken over?

"For the next race, I call forth the representatives from the planet Porcela," A sleek, smoothly gliding ship of metal emerged from the chute, and settled neatly onto the rotating disc starting point, "and their challenger, Ceres, of the Mung!"

Aikka looked towards the chute for the second contender, and felt unease. The thing that slid slowly out of the portal was an eerie looking thing, even in the bright daylight. His ship looked like nothing more than a series of geometrically angled bars, floating by some technology that Aikka could not begin to grasp. He could sense some sort of magic about it, but it was so foreign to him, he could not place what it was. The racer himself emerged, a strange looking figure that looked more like some alien relief come to life from an ancient wall. The flat figure had what seemed to be an expression locked in fury on his face.

"There are all sorts of beings in this wide galaxy, it seems," Lio commented, leaning forward, her head in a hand as her elbow propped against her knee.

Aikka turned his attention back to the race, as the first two marks fell, Porcela revving their engine in a gentle thrum. Ceres was still, so much so that Aikka had to wonder if the creature had just become a sculpture.

As the gateway dropped, both racers were on their way, Porcela taking an early lead, and Ceres drifting behind them in that same creepy fashion that they'd entered the race with. Aikka found himself fascinated by the creature's movement when Ceres began darting around, trying to upset Porcela's lead. The way he moved made Aikka compare him to the Nourasian Drak Fly, agilely flitting around, a ploy to confuse their predators.

It was when Ceres began edging forward that Porcela opened fire, but Aikka gasped to see how the attack was handled by the Mung. At first the Nourasian thought that the Porcelans had some sort of odd ammunition that allowed the shots to wrap and orbit their opponents, perhaps building up to a later, deadlier strike…But he gaped to discover that Ceres seemed to be the one in control of the laser shots, and with his staff, guiding them and manipulating them to orbit him instead of striking him.

The crowd gasped, then, when Ceres sent the lasers off in a return volley to their origin ship, causing Porcela's ship to shudder and at last smoke as one of the engines was caught in the fire. They weren't bested, however, and swerved away and ahead, hoping to lose their aggressive opponent. As they raced around turns, the Mung ship still gliding with a ghostly levelness, Porcela gliding ahead with only a slight offset from their injury, Aikka saw Ceres do something that was even more peculiar yet; Porcela raced ahead, their lesson in weapon-fire learned, their focus now obviously upon a sprint to the finish. However, Ceres, it seemed, was slowing down.

On the screen, it was visible that Ceres placed something to his oddly shaped mouth, and then the audience could faintly hear a tune beginning to play. As flat fingers waggled on the body of the flute, a haunting tale of a tune was heard, and while the audience was stunned into a fascinated silence, the reaction of Porcela was highly different.

"Look, look what's happened to the other racer!" Lio exclaimed, pointing to the screen and the emerging view of Porcela's ship. "They are faltering, even more than what damage they've already taken!"

Aikka looked there, just in time to see Porcela's lead fall apart, their steady waver deteriorating into a reckless stagger.

"I know this magic, Ceres has Porcela in an illusion!" Aikka said, blue eyes trained on the weary path of the ship. The flute music continued to play, as suddenly, Ceres' ship emitted a bright, yellow-orange scroll of light and runes that wrapped around his vessel, just before Ceres' tune took a more deadly verse, evidently sending the end of the scroll straight towards Porcela. The crowd again gasped as the light pierced effortlessly through one of the other ship's short, sleek wings, immediately disabling the thing and sending it careening into the floor of the canyon, only just before the tunnel of the course. Porcela's ship smoked and tumbled to a stop, as Ceres flew on above, the hum of his song disappearing, leaving the silence almost as unnatural as the song had been.

"The winner of this match is Ceres, of the Mung!"

The crowd then gave some applause for the victor, while at the same time acknowledging that the Mung would be a difficult potential opponent. Aikka himself gave a steady clap out of respect, his narrowed eyes watching as Ceres pulled into the gateway, completing his victory. This creature, he knew, would be a dangerous adversary if one was caught off guard by his illusionary magic.

"Well, I'm creeped out," Lio scoffed from next to Aikka.

The next race was a rather uneventful one, with the Alwas's home team winning by a mere lucky chance. Aikka even could tell that in comparison to the other contenders, the Skrub technology was somewhat primitive. Though he gave a respectful round of applause amongst the roar of 'Flint, Flint, Flint' from the Alwasians who'd showed up for the match, he thought it unlikely that Flint's team would pose much of a threat.

The great score wheel on the wall let Flint's icon go ahead one notch, and then began turning once more.

"The next race is a rematch!" one of the Skrub leaders called over the continuing chants of the crowd. "I now call forth, Grooor!"

Aikka perked up in his seat a bit, as the familiar ship of Grooor swerved and glided out of the chute and onto the starting ring. His eyes then went back to the portal, knowing this was the moment of truth for the Earth Team, his 'enemy.' If they didn't make it to this race, then they would not be seen for the rest of the Great Race. At least Toros would be delighted, he thought darkly.

"I now call forth, the Earth Team!" The audience was silent for a moment, as everyone waited, eyes trained on the chute.

Suddenly, Aikka could hear scraping, and the thrum of the team's mechanical ship, before the Star Racer flew haphazardly out of the doorway, and nearly into Grooor's ship, before catching itself and making a wide arc against the floor of the arena, scraping dust and smoke up into the air around it. The motor steadily died down where the racer had landed, and Aikka felt his eyes widen in surprise; yesterday the pilot had seemed to have better control than this...Perhaps he was still injured; should the man really have been racing?

Aikka watched as the glass of the cockpit opened, exposing the driver, and felt his breath hitch at who it was.

"Pilot Molly, reporting for the Earth Team!" came the girl's declaration, her stance erect, and her hand in a human gesture of a salute.

Aikka couldn't help but laugh quietly; this was the same girl he'd run into yesterday! So then, she must have been the team's back-up pilot. But as the girl was accepted as the new pilot by the Skrub mediators, she got her racer up in the air, only to falter into the side of her opponent's ship. Perhaps she wasn't the back-up pilot, then.

Either way, at least he now knew her name.

"What a funny little creature," Lio giggled next to Aikka. The Nourasian had his eyes trained on the star racer, however, intent on seeing Molly's next move, how she would fare in this race.

The gate dropped, and the rematch was under way, putting the Earth team to a bad start when Molly clipped the bottom of the gate, sending her into a wild spiral. Lio laughed.

"This poor girl doesn't stand a chance!" Aikka glanced at the worried Ombreian but paid no mind to her comment. Already, Molly had regained control of the ship. A few more curves and collisions with the wall put the Earth team suddenly even with Grooor, pinned between the massive ship and the stone wall.

But Molly quickly became much more nimble in the ship, and also opened fire on Grooor with laser cannons. Laser cannons; Aikka made a note of that being something to look out for with this team. He noted furthermore how reckless the gunner in the ship appeared to be.

Straight out of the tunnel of the course, though, The Earth team was roughly pinned into the ground, earning a rise of suspense from the crowd. But all too soon, Grooor released.

"What is he doing?" Aikka murmured, watching the screen.

"He had them right where he would have an advantage…" Lio observed as well, gleaming brown eyes focused on the screen.

Aikka watched as Grooor pulled slightly back, allowing Molly the lead, and was even more surprised by the sudden burst of energy emitted from the thrusters just moments later. The rest of the crowd gasped, some cheering, as the Earth team was flung forward, and well into the lead against Grooor.

Overshooting the turn onto the beach, the race suddenly drew more tension from the audience, as the star racer began to sputter over the ocean water, leaving the team on nothing but their landing wheels. Grooor finally rounded the corner himself, apparently out for revenge upon the Earth Team. The ship began its slow rate of fire, hammering the beach around the Earth Team. Aikka could feel himself leaning out of his seat as Grooor fired, and as, oddly enough, Molly turned the ship around, so the gunner's turret faced and shot directly at Grooor's ship.

The crowd was silent and in awe as the Earthlings took what looked to be their last stand, firing at an enemy that was heading straight for them at break-neck speed, unable to move in time if their plan went awry. Many people, Aikka included, were not watching the screen anymore, but the action unfolding just beyond the gate.

It seemed hopeless, but then, just in the very last second, all the shooting paid off; Grooor's vessel split in two, each piece careening to the ground on either side of the Earth Team, leaving them untouched. The race had reached such heights that the crowd had actually gone deathly silent; Aikka himself hardly drew in breath.

Slowly but surely, the new pilot pushed along, intent on victory. The last of the ship's wheels brought it heavily over the threshold of the gate, and somewhere, the gong rang in conclusion to the race. The crowd then came alive again, roaring in satisfaction of the Earth girl's stirring performance and victory.

Aikka found a smile and clapped heartily himself; the human, Molly, certainly proved that she might have the guts to make it quite far in the races. She was reckless and a bit clumsy, but he could see, but she also had resilience that won her the event.

And that would get her somewhere, he thought as the glass atop the ship pulled back, revealing the girl slouched, exhausted, over her controls.

-----

Notes:

Drak Fly: basically the Nourasian version of a dragonfly

Lio: I based her off of the one background character you can often see throughout the show. If you watch Silent Like Spirit, when Aikka and Rush are talking in the bleachers, you can see her on the other side of Aikka, one tier up. That's probably the closest view of her that I know of. I have a picture of her on her wind board…somewhere…it kind of fluttered off before I could color it, so I'm going to have to find it.

More on her later. We haven't seen the last of her! ;)


End file.
